The ruckus led to repeated adjournments of the Rajya Sabha and it was finally adjourned for the day just minutes after 3 pm. (File photo)
Congress-led protests over imposition of President's Rule in Uttarakhand today led to wastage of the second consecutive day of Rajya Sabha which saw repeated adjournments and early termination of the day's proceedings.
As the Upper House met for the day, five new members including Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Swapan Dasgupta and Subramanian Swamy, Olympic medalist boxer MC Mary Kom and Narendra Jadhav, member of erstwhile National Advisory Council (NAC) took oath.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was present, greeted them.
However soon after the oath, Congress members trooped into the Well of the House and shouted slogans, after government rejected their demand for a discussion on a motion on dismissal of the Harish Rawat led government in Uttarakhand.
The ruckus led to repeated adjournments of the House and it was finally adjourned for the day just minutes after 3 pm.
Earlier, Leader of the House and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said no discussion other than on proclamation of President's Rule in Uttarakhand can take place.
The minister said discussion will take place when the proclamation for President's Rule is placed before the House.
"There is no procedure of having pre-proclamation discussion," he said.
Justifying imposition of central rule in the state, Mr Jaitley said the "real breakdown of constitutional machinery" happened in Uttarakhand when the presiding officer (Speaker) "ignored" the vote of 35 out of 67 members against the appropriation bill to declare it passed.
After Mr Jaitley said no discussion can take place, Congress members raised anti-government slogans "Modi teri taanashahi nahi chalegi, nahi chalegi (dictatorship of Narendra Modi will not be tolerated)," forcing the House to adjourn till 1200 hours.
Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien's pleading that the Chair is in favour of a discussion and the protesters should allow the House to function went unheeded.
Congress leaders Anand Sharma, Pramod Tiwari, Naresh Agrawal of SP had given notices under rule 267 seeking suspension of business to take up discussion on use of Article 356 in Uttrakhand. The demand was supported by BSP leader Mayawati.
Mr Jaitley, while referring to the developments in Uttarakhand Assembly, contended that it had never happened in the history of Independent India that a presiding officer of a state Assembly has converted majority into minority and vice versa.